Phylaina's Quest
by fall so soft
Summary: [Post Season III - disregards Season IV] A stranger with unique abilities and a strong resemblance to one of Mainframe's protectors arrives with a complicated past and a plea for help. (This is based on a SI piece I began before Season IV came out.)
1. Prologue

It is after our Heroes have returned to Mainframe, and saved it from impending destruction. The threats have gone, and no longer do viruses and devious scum call Mainframe their home. Something lurks, though, outside the relative safety of their sealed home: a monster, a demented demon of a virus: Daemon.  
  
Somewhere in the Net:  
  
The familiar blue light gathered in intensity, surrounding her with energy as the tear stabilized. Slowly, the image of her destination appeared at the center of the growing sphere. She stepped into the portal and back into the world she had sworn she would never go back to. 


	2. One

As usual, Bob was patrolling the outskirts of mainframe, checking security and ensuring that there were no threats to their isolated bubble of safety and tranquillity. Only the User could know what lay beyond their carefully preserved world, so delicately returned to its former glory. He was about to head back in to the Principle Office when and urgent call crackled into his communicator.  
"Bob?"  
Before he could respond, Dot spouted off the information.  
"There's a - well, it looks like a portal, but it can't be - opening up off of Sector Twelve. You have to get there - and hurry!"  
She didn't have to say that twice. Bob sped off towards the growing disturbance, desperately hoping that he could get there before anything bad could happen.  
  
Enzo, or Matrix as he preferred, was already there, grimacing menacingly at a form coming through a small portal. The inner artist in Bob had to pause for a moment to observe the tightly focused and perfectly sized portal the figure was entering through, but he quickly snapped back to business and surveying the situation. A squad of armed officers had already surrounded the portal, probably at Dot's command. He had to admire her ability to think clearly in times of crisis. Once again redirecting his attention back to the problem at hand, Bob saw the figure fully emerge from the portal and nonchalantly allow it to snap close behind him or her. He couldn't tell much about the sprite standing tall in front of them, a glistening metallic staff gripped tightly, but not aggressively in a gloved hand. From head to the tops of heeled black boots, the stranger was garbed in a hooded cloak crafted entirely of crackling energy shielding. A stray breeze gently blew part of it aside, momentarily revealed a vaguely feminine form. Her face, excepting glowing almond-shaped aqua eyes, remained hidden beneath the cloak's hood.  
She relaxed her posture, carefully directing her staff away from any of the sprites before her and binomes surrounding her. She slowly and gently exposed another gloved hand from beneath the cloak, and pushed the hood away from her face. Something about her was familiar, and Bob gasped quietly when it hit him. Even Matrix seemed slightly disconcerted, lowering the barrel of his gun. Another breeze blew a curl of red hair, shot through with light and flickering static, across her brow. She gave an amused smile, giving them the distinct impression that she knew exactly what was going through their minds and found it terribly fun.  
"Now, now boys. Won't you be kind enough to take me to your leader?"  
Her voice was honey smooth and gently cultured, and entirely void of the familiar twang Bob had found himself expecting to hear. He glanced over to Matrix.  
"I think we should escort her to the Command Dot Com, Matrix."  
"Is that wise?," Matrix growled, raising his barrel again to firing level.  
Bob gave him a command look. Matrix sighed agreeably, but kept his weapon aimed at her chest. She shrugged and strode behind them. Something in her stance let Bob know, without a doubt, that she did not need to be shown the way. 


	3. Two

Dot was pacing impatiently at the entrance of the Principle Office, fueled by worry over this strange sprite. All Bob had told her was that the woman who came through the portal was being led to them under careful surveillance, leading Dot to worry more. Phong appeared beside her, also looking concerned over the unexpected guest. Mouse stood against the wall, her arms folded over her chest, more annoyed than worried.  
"I don't see how anybody could have gotten past my traps, sugar." Mouse's words were heavy with her Southern accent, and although she was generally very relaxed even under the most dire of circumstances, they held a worried edge. Phong spoke up with a few consoling remarks.  
"I am certain that anyone who poses a threat would not be led here, my children. This does not seem the way of Daemon, or those she controls."  
The doors opened. Dot stopped pacing to stand up tall and face the group of people entering. Bob and Matrix, in front, stepped aside to reveal the stranger. Mouse stepped away from the wall, but stopped herself from moving any further towards the strange figure. The woman delicately pressed a spiral icon clasping her energy shield cloak at her throat. The purple energy dissolved into a million pinpricks of light and reformed as a chain of softly glowing spheres encircling her waist, with her icon at its center. She pressed a concealed control on the seemingly smooth surface of her staff, and it shrunk down. She tossed it into the air, and allowed it to fall into a perfectly sized pocket in the inner forearm of her sleeve. Phong moved forward, coming up to her without hesitation. She smiled fully know, without the slightest hint of anything but happiness, and knelt down to his lower height. Dot could see tears welling up in the strange turquoise eyes as Phong lifted a hand to gently brush against the side of her face, touching cream colored skin. Matrix, Bob, and the troupe of officers behind them were all bewildered. Even Dot, the sprite with a hand in every business in Mainframe, was completely at a loss.  
"Phylaina, my child," Phong spoke, in a tone barely loud enough for the surrounding audience to hear, "Welcome home."  
The strange visitor folded into his arms for a deep embrace. 


	4. Three

A short while later, the entire group of the Principle Office regulars: Dot, Bob, Matrix, AndrAIa, Mouse, and RayTracer to name a few, sat around as the unfamiliar guest chatted warmly with their wizened and respected friend.  
Phong sipped from a handle-less cup of tea and he asked the woman, Phylaina, what had happened to her after she had last seen him. They had been speaking as if no one else was present, and for the first time she lifted her head up to gesture towards the still confused people surrounding them.  
"Perhaps you should explain first who I am, Phong. I think they would appreciate it greatly."  
He set down his tea.  
"I am certain that there is much to be explained. However, I feel it should be explained by you, my child. It is time for you to tell your own tale."  
She sighed and swiveled her chair to face the sprites gathered in Phong's office.  
"I'm Phylaina; although if you hadn't grasped at least that much by now, I would be sorely disappointed in your intellectual capabilities."  
Phong cut her off with a warning glance. She sighed, and obligingly continued.  
"Very well. I am called Phylaina; never Phyl, and you may find that you have indeed heard of me. I was the Unbeatable Beater; the only girl to ever win any of the three boxing titles offered in Mainframe's sad excuse for a boxing scene. I was, and as far as I'm aware also the only fighter to win all three in one season. Ah, the resilience of youth.."  
She trailed off momentarily, and cleared her throat before resuming.  
"Anyhow, I grew up here. I was left to fend for myself as a little sprite, and sometime before I can remember I wound up here. I was taken in by an old trainer, the owner of Mike's Knock-Around Gym. I doubt if the place is still around. Somehow, I can't imagine it surviving without him barking orders and taking bets from the back. He raised me and trained me right alongside his son, David, as if I were his own kid."  
She paused and briefly turned her face away from the onlooking listeners, trying to collect herself and willing herself not to cry.  
"Dave and I left Mainframe so long ago I can barely recall just how long. Even if I could, I certainly wouldn't care to admit how long ago it really was."  
Phylaina had to pause again, trying desperately to choke back the tears rising from deep within her. She took a few deep breaths, and closed her eyes for a few moments before speaking again.  
"It was foolish, really. Phong, there were times I wished you had made me stay, truly. I know, I know... Nothing would have made me stay. Not after I discovered what I was. I had to leave; I had to try and figure out who I was and where I fit in, and of course Dave was too foolhardy and lovesick not to go with me. We hopped around, from system to system, avoiding Guardians and crooks alike.  
"After we grew up a little, and I got enough of the wanderlust out of my system, we settled down. Got married. Tiny house in a backwater system, whole kilo o' bytes."  
She paused, seemingly lost in her own world of memories. Her audience waited patiently as she sipped the now cold tea in front of her and gathered the strength to continue.  
"But then a Guardian had to show up in our sad little excuse for a hometown. Infected with some kind of... Thing. I should have never even thought about it; just deleted him and let it go at that. But no, I had to be the hero again. Looking back, I know my programming wouldn't have allowed me to act any differently, but I should have. I should have, for Dave's sake, and goodness knows for Calder's."  
Phong sent her a questioning look, and an icy edge added itself to her voice.  
"Calder, my son. I should have - Look, it doesn't matter what I should have done. We are who we are, right? And what is done is done, and can't be undone."  
She stood up, and fully faced the group of sprites before her.  
"Are you going to help me?"  
Bob spoke up.  
"Help you do what?"  
Phylaina paused, as if it hadn't occurred to her that he might not understand. "Save the world, what else?" 


	5. Four

"Why should we help you?," Matrix growled, suspicious of the stranger and everything she represented. AndrAIa gave him a Look. He held his hands up defensively, and AndrAIa gave Phylaina an encouraging nod.  
"I'm asking you to do what you should be doing. Don't you have any sense of duty, Guardians?"  
She looked from Bob to Matrix and back.  
"After all, that's what you are. Someone needs to stop that supervirus, and soon. You can't honestly believe that you'll stay safe and hidden in this bubble forever. I mean, admittingly, it would take those bumbling idiots that Daemon uses infinitely longer to break in here than it took me, but they still will eventually. You have to understand that, at least."  
She crossed her arms across her chest.  
"I thought that if you weren't compassionate enough to save my family, you'd at least have the decency to protect your own."  
Phong sighed.  
"Phylaina, my child. It is not so easy as you make it seem. Such an undertaking would -"  
She cut him off, her voice low and flooded with tears.  
"Phong, she has my little boy. She has my husband and my little boy in cages like animals. She took the only two people who ever wanted me away."  
She wiped her eyes with her fingertips, the tears cascading silently onto the tabletop. She took a deep breath, attempting to regain some semblance of composure. This was not the way she had planned on dealing with these people, and the image she imagined she must be presented to them made her shudder. She was not any kind of blubbering anything. She let the breath out, turning back to face the people she had so painstakingly tracked down.  
"I am not some kind of helpless victim begging for your compassion. I am by no means powerless, but I have learned the most difficult way of all that I am not powerful enough to face her on my own."  
  
Without waiting for a response, she ducked her head and moved lithely through the sprites comprising her audience to exit the room. 


	6. Five

The crew was left bewildered and slightly startled by the stranger's abrupt departure from the room. A heavy silence fell over the office. After a few awkward moments, Phong finally spoke.  
"She has changed much since she left here."  
He glided over to a place in front of his seated audience: Dot, Bob, Matrix, AndrAIa, Mouse, and Raytracer. Phong sighed and held his hands contemplatively under his chin. Bob spoke up.  
"How do you mean, changed? What was she like before?"  
Phong chuckled softly to himself before answering.  
"Always impulsive, Phylaina was. Picking fights or always up to some trouble."  
He gave a sideways glance to Matrix.  
"Not unlike some other young sprites I have known, perhaps?"  
Matrix avoided meeting his glance and stood up angrily.  
"I don't see why we should help her. We're safe here! I didn't risk my life to just waste it trying to accomplish the impossible!"  
AndrAIa stood up to face him, hands on hips and a Look on her face. "I don't believe you! We have the chance to help someone save her family, and all you can think about is yourself!"  
She threw her hands up in the air and turned to leave the room. Without looking back at him, she added icily.  
"I'm out. You can come find me when you grow up."  
She shut the door firmly behind her, leaving a small but satisfying slam in her wake. A moment later, Matrix stormed out of the room, fuming and headed away from everyone. 


	7. Six

The crew was left bewildered and slightly startled by the stranger's abrupt departure from the room. A heavy silence fell over the office. After a few awkward moments, Phong finally spoke.  
"She has changed much since she left here."  
He glided over to a place in front of his seated audience: Dot, Bob, Matrix, AndrAIa, Mouse, and Raytracer. Phong sighed and held his hands contemplatively under his chin. Bob spoke up.  
"How do you mean, changed? What was she like before?"  
Phong chuckled softly to himself before answering.  
"Always impulsive, Phylaina was. Picking fights or always up to some trouble."  
He gave a sideways glance to Matrix.  
"Not unlike some other young sprites I have known, perhaps?"  
Matrix avoided meeting his glance and stood up angrily.  
"I don't see why we should help her. We're safe here! I didn't risk my life to just waste it trying to accomplish the impossible!"  
AndrAIa stood up to face him, hands on hips and a Look on her face. "I don't believe you! We have the chance to help someone save her family, and all you can think about is yourself!"  
She threw her hands up in the air and turned to leave the room. Without looking back at him, she added icily.  
"I'm out. You can come find me when you grow up."  
She shut the door firmly behind her, leaving a small but satisfying slam in her wake. A moment later, Matrix stormed out of the room, fuming and headed away from everyone. 


	8. Seven

Mouse was walking past the old data dump when she saw Phylaina striding down the sidewalk before her. She cautiously kept her distance, but followed her as she turned from one street to another, trying to keep close but not too close. The industrial sector, G-Prime, wasn't the best part of the city to roam about unarmed, and Mouse wasn't about to let this strange girl get clobbered.  
Phylaina rounded a corner, turning into a narrow alley. After a moment's hesitation, Mouse followed. She turned into the dim alley only to find it empty. Cautiously stepping further into the gloomy gap between buildings, she felt an icy metal bade against the back of her throat.  
"Tell me what you want, hacker," Phylaina growled, tightening her grip on the metal blade which arose from the tip of her staff.  
"I should of known you wouldn't need watching after, sugar."  
Mouse tried to keep her voice calm, but the tense laughter which followed her remarks gave her away. She knew better than to play with strangers, even strangers as special as Phylaina.  
"Don't you 'sugar' me, hacker. Do you think you can just wash all the blood off your hands so easily? Not everyone forgets what you've done; who you are. Did you really think you could escape the past that simply?"  
Mouse felt the blade press against her neck threateningly for a moment, and then release. She sensed the sprite move away from her. Mouse raised a hand reassuringly to her neck to where the blade had been. She turned around to face Phylaina. Her flame-haired assailant was standing defensively, her feet fimly planted on the cracked and trash-strewn alley floor, and her long staff gripped menacingly in her hand, it's scythe-like blade gleaming in the faint light coming through the polluted air.  
"That's some stick you've got there. You should probably put that away before somebody's eye gets poked out, sugar."  
Phylaina raised the staff's point menacingly.  
"I told you; don't sugar me. I'm not one of your 'buddies,' Mouse."  
Her voice had an edge sharper than the blade in her right hand. She stepped forward as she continued.  
"You know who I am, Mouse." 


End file.
